There are a variety of processes that require the application of a thin laminate layer onto a surface from a roll. One such process arises when making signs.
Small-scale professional sign making involves carving letters and shapes into a two-layered sheet of material. The top layer is often made of vinyl, paper, or similar material and the letters, numbers and graphics for a given sign are cut from this top layer. The top layer carries an adhesive on its lower surface for adhering the resulting letters and other characters to a sign backing which forms the second or bottom layer. This adhesive is also used to secure the characters to the final surface for which the characters of the sign were intended. The bottom layer has a low adhesion upper surface so that the top layer may be removed without damaging the characters. There is enough adhesion between the layers, however, so that after the sign characters are carved out of the top layer, the letters and graphics are held in place on the bottom backing layer by the adhesive, allowing the waste material around the characters to be carefully lifted off of the bottom layer and discarded.
In order to remove the newly formed letters, numbers and graphics from the bottom layer and place them on the surface for which they are ultimately intended, such as a vehicle door, store window or the like, it is essential that the characters be preserved in their original positions. To achieve this result, a carrier laminate known as masking is applied to the upper surface of the characters and to the exposed portions of the upper surface of the bottom layer. This masking has a mild adhesive on its lower surface so that it may be used to remove the characters from the backing, preserving their original positions, and to apply the characters to the receiving surface. The masking is typically translucent so the characters may be seen through the masking for ease in positioning the characters on the receiving surface. Once the proper orientation on the receiving surface is attained, the characters are pressed against the receiving surface and the masking is peeled away.
Applying the masking to the upper surface of the top layer is a crucial step that has traditionally required painstaking care to avoid damaging the formed characters and graphics or compromising the orientation of the characters. Such masking is produced and sold on rolls. Specialized devices are available for assisting the sign maker in applying masking.
One such known device includes a roller either fixed to the edge of a table or placed on the table's surface. The sign maker using this device places the sign to be masked on the table adjacent the edge with the roller. A length of masking material is pulled from the roll and carefully stretched directly over, and aligned carefully with, the sign. The sign maker then uses a straight edge or paddle to smooth the masking over the sign. Applying the masking to the sign is a very difficult step. Even when done carefully, this step may result in the formation of wrinkles in the masking layer. Such imperfections can damage the characters or cause them to become misaligned on the resulting sign.
Such imperfections often result when the working platform, on which the sign is being made, contains irregularities, undulations, or other non-planar areas. Considering that many small-scale sign makers operate from old buildings having uneven flooring, less than optimal humidity control, old workbenches, etc., it becomes apparent how such businesses can be plagued by problems obtaining, or maintaining, a planar work platform. This prior art device does not tolerate a nonplanar working surface.
Another disadvantage of this device is the difficulty it presents in making long or large signs. Longer signs require more masking to be pulled from the roll and positioned over the sign. This increases the margin for error and level of difficulty in applying the masking to the sign without creating wrinkles.
For large signs which are wide as well as long, large automated masking devices are employed. These devices work with virtually no human interaction and do an adequate job of applying masking without error. They incorporate rollers as work surfaces so the quality of the masking is not affected by the undesirable elements listed above. However, these machines are large and very expensive. The cost and size are prohibitive for most small-scale sign businesses.
There is a need for a device that improves the manual masking process by minimizing the likelihood of error when manually applying masking or similar laminate layer. It would be advantageous to provide a device which is relatively small and inexpensive, such as a hand tool, yet facilitates ease and efficiency in applying a masking or laminate layer to a sheet of material or other surface.